Nvidia can’t sell its most advanced AI chip to China, White House says
Sales of the ‘crown jewel’ Blackwell chips may be possible later, when they are outclassed by new designs, US Treasury chief Bessent says
The Trump administration is not planning to allow Nvidia to sell its most advanced AI chip, known as the Blackwell, to China right now, the White House said on Tuesday.
“As for the most advanced chips, the Blackwell chip, that’s not something we’re interested in selling to China at this time,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said during a press conference at the White House.
The remarks echoed comments made by US President Donald Trump on Sunday, when he declared that the most advanced chips made by the world’s most valuable company would be reserved for American companies and kept out of China and other countries.
Questions had swirled about whether Trump would allow shipments of a scaled-down version of the Blackwell chip to China since August, when he suggested he might allow such sales.
Trump had hinted he might discuss the chips with Chinese President Xi Jinping at their summit in South Korea last week, but ultimately said the topic did not come up.
Earlier on Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had suggested that the US eventually could allow high-end Nvidia chips to be sold to Chinese companies as he teased additional meetings between Trump and Xi next year.
